Avatar: The Spirit Wars
by MDI
Summary: 16 years after the war, the world seems at peace, but from underneath the surface a new danger is lurking. Join the next avatar and her friends in her quest to keep the world at peace. Future Kataang, Sukka and Maiko. Rated T to be safe, it will be long.
1. Chapter 1: Leaving Home Pt 1

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**Avatar: The Spirit Wars (Aang's Legacy)  
**

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**Summary: **16 years after the war, the world seems at peace, but from underneath the surface a new danger is lurking. Join the next avatar and her friends in her quest to keep the world at peace. A story of a heroine in the making, containing lots of consequences from the Gaang's journeys. Kataang, Sukka and Maiko pairings, in the future ofcourse.

**Notes:** The beginning might be a little heavy and serious, but it'll lighten up later. Plus, I suck at humor, but I'll try. Second chapter is already finished, and I will post it when either I feel like it, or I get enough reviews. And please ppl, do review, I want to know who I'm writing for ;-).

**Disclaimer:** Last time I checked, I didn't own Avatar.

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**Chapter 1: Leaving Home Pt. 1**

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A clear starry night allowed the moon to cast its shadows over the icy metropolis called the Northern Water Tribe. A teenage girl, just about average height, was sitting on a bridge with another Northern Water Tribe citizen. The girl had a big smile on her face, still thinking about a really bad joke the boy just told her.

As a soft breeze flowed by, she held onto her dark brown hair so it wouldn't cover her bright blue eyes. The boy on the other hand didn't have to, as his hair was just a bit too short reach his eyes and was held together by a blue headband.

Daku's gray eyes reminded Enai of many things, like the moon, clouds and storms. Just a few years ago the duo discovered their bending abilities, and they would battle each other for fun and practise. Enai's mother wasn't allowed to do anything but healing until avatar Aang and his friends showed up – including Master Katara. She was the one who single-handedly fought for equality between water tribe men and women.

Even though she was allowed to fight since then, her mother never saw the need to learn battling with water bending though. From time to time, Enai would try to teach her mom how to fight, but they would always end up laughing, annoying spectators and people walking past with water whips. Enai liked to think her mother was just too kind and carefree to even think about fighting.

Daku on the other hand, who was trained by the best waterbending masters on the northern hemisphere because of his high status, and would fight Enai with all he's got. In addition to his bending skills, he used the katana he got from his father a lot, sometimes with and sometimes without bending. This katana seemed to consist out of darker metal than their battle bracers, and it was fairly light too. They wondered why, but they never asked; this wasn't the only peculiar object Daku's dad had in his possession.

Enai didn't have any top-of-the-notch teachers, but strangely she invented her very own unique moves. Every once in a while they would find a quiet place and teach each other their moves in a duel. The result of those fights was a close friendship and lots of battle experience, which they were gonna need later on.

* * *

They were silently enjoying each others presence until Daku broke the silence. "You're never gonna guess what I've got you for your birthday."

"A flying bison?" She asked with a girly glitter in her eyes.

Daku frowned and said "Yeah, I stumbled upon an extinct animal by accident, so I thought I'd give it to you. Now make a realistic guess."

Enai smiled. "You know, I don't need any birthday present. I got everything I want: a close friend, my mother and a careless life in the water tribe. Everything else is just a welcome addition."

"I know you think that way, so can you realise how hard it was for me to find you a special present you won't forget about a few days later?" "Haha, sorry, but I just couldn't resist melting that icy blob you gave me last year and throw it to your face."

"Hey, it was a penguin, and it took me a while to make it. I'm not half as good in ice sculpturing as I am in bending battles."

"I sure hope so, or else you wouldn't be able to make a proper water whip."

Enai started laughing at him and a few seconds later Daku decided to join her. After they cooled down Daku continued the conversation.

"Okay okay, I admit it wasn't _that_ much of a sculpture anyway, but I'm sure you'll like this present. Now I gotta go home and get some rest, because we'll be hunting early tomorrow. I'll be back around noon to hand over your birthday gift."

"That's okay, I'll probably be in bed tomorrow morning. That's why I love Avatar day, we can just relax all day and do nothing."

"_You_ can relax and do nothing" he corrected, "_I_ have to hunt with the other guys." "And in return, _we_ turn the meat you bring back into a tasty meal, and everyone is happy." Enai added. Daku shrugged and stood up to walk towards his home. "I'll see you tomorrow Enai." "Sleep well Daku." She replied.

* * *

Enai was lazy if no-one needed her for anything important. She lived in a normal house in the suburbs of the Northern Water Tribe with her mother. Her father was a warrior who died defending avatar Aang in the final battle against fire lord Ozai just before she was born. Her mother always told Enai she was just like her father, both physically and mentally. She figured her father must have outslept every other soldier in the army back then.

Enai wasn't sleeping, but she wasn't awake either when she heard her mother talking to someone downstairs. As she was lying comfortably on her bed with one arm hanging over the edge and a leg just poking out under the other side of the blanket, she decided not to stand up. Until she was forced to.

"WATCH OUT BELOW!"

Enai was catapulted off her bed when Daku jumped on it. "Spirits, how late is it?"

"It's one o'clock snoozles. I returned from hunting about an hour ago, and took the time to wash myself and get rid of that fishy smell before I headed over to your place. And jeez, couldn't you tidy it up just a little bit?"

"Oh yeah, I was planning to do that this morning." She said with a big grin on her face and scratching the back of her head with one arm, like she used to do when she was embarrassed.

"Anyway, here's your super awesome gift." Daku handed over a simple cardboard box to Enai. Still in her pyjama, she examined the box for any oddities, but she couldn't find any. She tore open the box expecting another slightly smaller ice sculptured blob, but instead she found a beautiful necklace, a dark blue ribbon with a turquoise crystal heart.

She gasped and said "Wow Daku, this is beautiful! How.. When.. Where did you get it?"

"My dad gave it to me. He said it would be the perfect gift for you, probably even more fitting than I'd think. But in my opinion a beautiful necklace from the Earth Kingdom is as perfect as it gets." Enai gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Daku, you're the best." "I know, I know." he said with a satisfied grin on his face. "And now leave, I have to get changed." "Oh right, I almost forgot I just launched you out of your bed. I'll see you downstairs I guess?"

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"Oooooooh it's so pretty!" Enai's mom exclaimed." She didn't even notice Enai's new hairdo, with a knot on the back of her head and braids hanging down in front of her shoulders.

"Where did you get that? It's Earth Kingdom crystal isn't it?" She continued. Enai was a bit embarrassed at her mom, but she couldn't help but smile at her everlasting girliness.

"Actually I didn't get it myself, my dad gave it to me. He told me it would be a perfect gift for Enai's 16th birthday."

"It's more than perfect! It's awesome, pretty, beautif.."

"Yeah mom, cut it out already." Enai interrupted, afraid that her mom would keep talking for hours.

"Sorry dear, I guess I got a bit too over-excited." She said calmly before she went to the kitchen to get some tea.

"So uuhm, how did the hunting go today?" Enai asked.

"Same as usual. We went out, caught some pigfish and seacows and went back. But I did hear one of the hunters say something to my dad about the monks of the Northern Water Temple. I could hear them say something about the Avatar before I got dragged away by a wild seacow."

Enai's mom came back into the room with the biggest grin on her face. "Oh, my dearest daughter is sixteen now. The guests should arrive any minute now. Is your father coming too, Daku?"

"I guess not, he's probably busy with I-don't-know-what-kind-of-boring-stuff." He said, his mind drifting off a bit.

"Oh, that's too bad. I'd love to talk to chief Arnook again."

Daku didn't like being reminded about him being the prince. He'd rather be a normal peasant like Enai, so he wouldn't be treated like he's the king of the world all the time. That was one of the reasons he liked hanging out with Enai so much, she didn't really care if he were a prince or just a bum.

His mother always treated him like he was a normal kid, but his father had always been a little absent-minded. His mother told him it had to do with his deceased sister Yue, now the moon spirit. Daku had dreams in which he would see her and talk to his white-haired sister. For all he knew, he's had those dreams ever since he could remember.

Most of the time she would ask Daku what's new, and Daku would tell about his personal experiences and news from around the globe. She probably already knew everything, but they would have something to talk about. A few times she told him about Avatar Aang, Master Katara and her brother Sokka and when it was full moon, Daku would just sit and watch at the celestial appearance, swearing he could feel the presence of his sister.

"Daku?" Enai saw that he was thinking about something.

"Oh sorry, I guess I was daydreaming a little. So, how has your day be.." He was interrupted by a few firm knocks on the door.

"Oh, I think the guests have arrived." Enai's mom stated. When she opened the door, a group of monks stepped into the house.

"Enai? We need to talk to you." Daku remembered a conversation with Yue about Avatar Aang a while ago, when suddenly he came to a realization.

_Enai__ is a talented bender._

_It's been 16 years now._

_Avatar Aang was an airbender._

_Next in line would be.._

"No.. Way.." he softly said to himself.

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Three dark figures gathered on a hilltop in the western Earth Kingdom at night. The first person was a bulky and large man, who seemed to be very well-trained and agile in spite of his posture. The second was skinny tan male with dark hair and dark eyes. He carried a very large bag on his back. The last person was a female with yellow eyes.

"Any progress?" she asked.

"Those pesky earth monks refused to tell anything. I made sure they'll never tell anything anymore." The big man said.

"Rikuto, you might be the most dangerous earthbender I've ever met, but you don't really think ahead don't you." The skinny man said. "You just barge in and kill people. I on the other hand manipulate them to be useful to me, and then I might not kill them."

"Easy for you to say, mister bloodbender, but I haven't played with water since I was 12." Rikuto said with a mocking voice.

"Oh yeah? Well I haven't thrown rocks at anyone since.."

"Oh shut up you two." Azula interrupted, shaking her head. "We'll have to keep a low profile if we want to find them. I suggest Rikuto keeps the Dai Li moving and Moko keeps his erm.. people gathering information concerning the Stones."

"They're top notch spies.." Moko hissed at Azula.

"Sure they are, but they haven't been of much use lately haven't they? I mean, my rebels found out about those pebbles while your spies were drinking tea on our expense!"

"Hey, people NEED TEA!"

Azula shook her head again. "Right, this isn't going anywhere. We'll meet here again in a month unless it's important enough to send the others a message. Moko, I expect your outcast bums to find things out like they should."

"Spies." He whispered softly, much like a disappointed little kid whose mother didn't take a look at his newest drawing.

"Whatever." Azula mounted her mongoose dragon and sped off west towards a small fleet of old fire nation ships. Rikuto earthbended himself into the ground, probably heading east towards Ba Sing Se. Moko just stood there for a while before jumping to the conclusion: "I have no idea where to go." He decided to walk towards a random Earth Kingdom town for some calming tea. A messenger hawk would reach him sooner or later.

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	2. Chapter 2: Leaving Home Pt 2

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**Avatar: The Spirit Wars (Aang's Legacy)**

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**Previously: **

_Enai__ is a talented bender._

_It's been 16 years now._

_Avatar Aang was an airbender._

_Next in line would be.._

"No.. Way.." he softly said to himself.

**Notes:** Thanks to Artimes Athene, mramirez1991 and especially PetertheChameleon for his awesome review, which was the main reason I'm adding chapter 2 now. Really appreciate it ppl. And oh yeah, keep reviewing. :-)

**Disclaimer: **Nope, still don't own Avatar.

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**Book 1, Chapter 2: Leaving Home Pt. 2**

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Daku swore he could hear the iceberry plants in the living room grow. Enai, her mom, Daku and the monks were standing in the living room of the ice-carved residence. One of the monks started to talk.

"Enai, it's your 16th birthday today, and it seems you're the chosen one."

"Chosen one?" She asked. Daku grinned faintly because Enai was being oblivious as always. She was a very clever girl, but sometimes it took her a while to figure out the simplest things.

"Yes, the chosen one. You're the new avatar, succeeding avatar Aang." If it were possible, Enai's mouth would have dropped all the way through the ice to the bottom of the ocean, or whatever lay underneath the largest sheet of ice in the world.

"Wow. That's erm.. Great I guess.." She didn't actually know what to think about her new duties and obligations. Being the avatar would mean travelling a lot and keeping peace across the globe. She would like the travelling but she didn't know if she was ready for such a big responsibility. After all, she liked her lazy life the way it was. Surely it was a bit boring from time to time, but that's something she had lived with her whole life.

"As you probably know, to become a full-fledged avatar, you need to master all four of the elements. For all we know you are quite a talent in water bending, so mastering it shouldn't be that much of a problem. But the real problem lies with mastering air bending." The monk continued. Enai remembered, Aang was the last airbender alive. He died as a 12-year old, so he probably didn't have any kids who could bend air.

"They're extinct.." She said absent-mindedly, staring at a certain point on the carpet.

"That's what we thought too until a few days ago, until the Order of the White Lotus which you might have heard of contacted us about a solution they couldn't explain in a letter."

One of the monks took out an envelope from under his robe and handed it to Enai. On the back of the envelope was a broken seal with a lotus imprint on it. Enai took out the piece of parchment and started reading out loud.

_To the monks of the Northern Water Tribe__ and the avatar,_

_We, the members of the Order of the White Lotus, have very important information for you, which might be essential for the fate of the world. The next avatar should be revealed within the next week in either the Northern or the Southern water tribe, since avatar Aang died exactly 16 years ago today. As you know, the avatar has to master all 4 elements. You know that the airbenders are extinct, so technically the avatar can't learn any airbending. _

_We have found a certain solution for this, which we cannot describe in this letter due to safety reasons. The monks will hand a white lotus tile to the avatar. We suggest the avatar to travel to the Jasmine Dragon teahouse in Ba Sing Se. Ask for Akote (ah-koh-tee) and show him the lotus tile, he will help you. _

_Remember,_

_Only one who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries will knock at the garden gate._

_The Order of the White Lotus_

She slowed down a little when she read the last few words, taking it all in.

"You should leave on the ferry to Ba Sing Se tonight. We aren't unaware of the.. Uhum –_he looked at her still slightly fuzzy hair and some gunk in the corners of her eyes_- changes that will occur in your life, and we really didn't want to rush and send you away immediately, but if time wasn't of the essence, the Order would have sent a messenger to talk to us personally. We think you should keep this letter, too."

"I understand." Daku could sense a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"Well mom, I guess we have to buy some food and pack my stuff for tomorrow." She said with a sigh. Her mother seemed paralyzed, still trying to make sense of everything she just heard.

"We'll let the ferry crew know you'll be leaving." One of the monks said as they left Enai's home. Right after they closed the door small waterfalls started to stream from her mother's eyes.

"I'm so proud of you, my daughter being the avatar and all, but I don't want you to leave me! I.. I.. I.." She stammered.

"I know mom. Things won't be the same after today." Enai managed to crack a smile.

"Hey, I'll do what I have to do, master some elements, kick some butt of people I haven't met yet and I'll be back home before you can say penguin sledding." She pulled her mother in a tight embrace. Daku knew it wouldn't be that easy, and Enai wasn't_ that_ oblivious.

As Enai pulled away again. "Come on Daku, we're going to do some serious food shopping."

"Oh sure, almighty avatar." He said with a slight bow.

"I'll grab some money for your journey." Enai's mom said.

"No don't. We've got plenty of money and I think my dad will be happy to 'fund' the avatar's quest." Daku said as Enai's mom walked towards a cabinet.

"That's very kind of you Daku. Tell your parents I said hi, and that they should come visit me again." She said with a smile.

"Will do." Daku said as he and Enai left her home. Although she was smiling, Daku saw her eyes filling with water.

* * *

While they were walking towards the chief's place, Enai wasn't like she normally was. She would talk a lot and smile to pretty much everyone she saw, implying a "hi", but she was silent and kept staring at the floor in front of her.

"I'm coming with you." Daku said suddenly.

"What? But you're the 'prince' of the Northern Water Tribe, you can't just leave, right?"

"Oh well uhm, I'll find a way out. I think my dad will like me to see other parts of this world. Warmer parts. And what's an avatar without a trusty and loyal bodyguard, who happens to be very handsome." He said with his most flirty sounding voice while looking at his reflection in his katana. It did manage to make her laugh a little.

"Besides, you look like you could use a friend on your journey." Enai hugged him.

"Thanks Daku, I wouldn't know where I'd be without you."

"Probably at your place removing the gunk out of your eyes for those monks that just barged in."

Their new worries were too much of a distraction to notice a seemingly normal person with a hat had followed them from Enai's home.

* * *

"Dad? Daaaad?" Chief Arnook got down the stairs to see Daku standing next to Enai.

"Dad, I don't know how to explain this properly, but Enai is the avatar and I'm joining her travels. We leave tonight, and we're gonna need some money."Daku said quickly, hoping his dad couldn't find the time to say he wouldn't let him go. Surprisingly, his dad walked up to him and gave him a hug. Daku was confused, cause he would only do that on very very special occasions. His father pulled out of the hug and put his hand on Daku's shoulder.

"The monks already told me Enai is the avatar succeeding Aang. I had a feeling you would want to go with her, and I'm proud of you." He turned to Enai, leaving a frown on Daku's face.

"I'm more than happy to help you start your journey, avatar Enai." He said, and he bowed slightly. That made Enai confused too; the king of the Northern Water Tribe bowed to her. To her! She figured she should get used to people treating her like that.

Arnook waved at a servant who went into a room and came back with a backpack and a pair of big sacks filled with money.

"Jeez, that should keep us going for the next few years." Daku said as he put his bag into the backpack which apparently had been filled partially with clothing already, and swung it onto his back.

"It seems to me that you should visit the armoury. Who knows what kind of people you'll be fighting. I'm sure the guards will let you grab whatever you need."

"Thanks dad, I appreciate it. Can I say goodbye to.."

Just before he could finish his sentence his mother stormed down the stairs and jump-hugged onto her son, almost making him lose his balance. Arnook and Enai watched them with a huge frown on their faces, Daku's mom was like hers in a lot of ways.

"Oh I'm so proud of you! My very own son travelling with the avatar. I just can't be.."

"Mom, we get it. I'm gonna miss you, though."

"I'll miss you too. So, this is our goodbye?"

"Probably, Enai and I gotta visit the armoury and buy some food before we leave tonight, and we don't want everyone to know yet. Don't worry about us, we'll do what we have to and we'll return as soon as possible. I'll send letters, too." He said as they walked towards the exit of the building.

Just before they went out of the doorstep, Daku turned around and said "Oh mom, dad, Enai's mom says hi and would like you to drop by sometime soon."

* * *

The armoury was close to the Northern Water Tribe palace. It was a simple building with a few guards walking around the place. They walked up to the entrance and a guard greeted them.

"Hey Daku, training again?"

"No, something more important this time. But we'll train a lot though."

"I see. Grab whatever you want, kiddo."

The guard let them in. The inside of the armoury was simple and square, but the weapons and armour hung on the walls and in racks. Even though Daku had been here countless of times, he still loved the sight of shiny new armour plates and weapons. They both decided they should grab some boots and fitting plated gloves to protect their arms and legs in battle. Although their torso and head would be vulnerable too, torso armour and helmets would take in a lot of space in their backpacks, and they could use all the extra room for other clothes and food. Finally they grabbed some shurikens, silently hoping they wouldn't be needing them anytime soon.

"Don't you need something uhm.. longer than a shuriken?" Daku asked slightly insecure. Enai knew he had his own weapon, his katana, and wondered if she didn't need anything like that. Sometimes Daku used his katana while bending, which added to the accuracy of his moves. Plus, it was really, really sharp.

"Of all people, you should know best how dangerous I am without any sharp objects within hand reach." She replied with a smile.

"I know, I know. But since there are more than enough weapons here, I thought you could take something else with you."

"Nah, I'll pass." She said, taking a satisfied look at the palms of her hands.

* * *

After having bought enough food for days at the market, at which Daku accidentally ran over a cart full of cabbages because he was drooling at some girl walking by, they took a short dinner break at Enai's house, which was on the way to the docks. Her mother seemed to have accepted the fact that her daughter was leaving, and already packed her bag.

There was a bit of an awkward mood during dinner, which was cut short because the duo had to catch the ferry at sunset. As they were finished and time was running out, Enai and Daku stepped up from the table and swung on their backpacks. Enai hugged her mom one last time and even though they both tried to stay strong and maintained their smiles, their eyes brimmed with tears.

"Mom, we'll be back before you know it."

"I hope so Enai. I hope so."

They left the building and were walking towards the docks and the great floodgate, when Daku was wondering something.

"Enai, we left your house really quickly, I know you wanted to stay with your mom a little longer. What's up?"

"Don't look back, but some guy with a hat has been following us around for the past few hours. I don't know who that guy is, what he wants or what he's capable of but I don't want my mom to be in any kind of danger."

Suddenly Daku saw a determination in his best friend's eyes he'd never seen before.

"I see. I'd say we capture him and ask who he is when we're on the boat, he'll have no escape route."

"My thoughts exactly."

* * *

The docks were situated right behind the inner defensive wall. Between the inner and the outer defensive wall was a big basin filled with water, except for a relatively small fragment in the centre where walls were set up so the water could rise and fall in between. It didn't take the couple much time to find their boat, and they entered it.

"Ah, prince Daku and the avatar. Please keep your heads low for now, we don't want an annoying fanclub yet do we?" He said with a wink.

Enai smiled, but Daku's face turned sour. "Stop calling me prince already."

When they went aboard, a waterbender of the ferry crew greeted them and showed them their cabins. Just before they went below deck Enai noticed the mysterious man following them paying the guard to get on the boat. He still wore the hat, even though the sun was down.

Their cabin consisted out of a table with a couch, two beds and two closets. Daku ran in and claimed his bed by jumping on top of it and bumping his head in the process, Enai followed him and put down her backpack on hers.

"We'll be on here for a few days, so we might as well get comfortable. We do need to keep an eye out for hatman."

"Yeah, I saw the guy getting on the boat too. We'll get him once we're in the floodgate, he'll have nowhere to run, and he'll be surrounded by the floodgate handlers and guards."

"Smart thinking. Your brains really come in handy."

"Well, those expensive teachers didn't get paid for nothing you know." Daku smiled, pointing at his forehead.

* * *

The transition from the docks to the floodgate went smoothly. As usual, the waterbenders would lower the water level inside the floodgate to the water level in the tribe, which lay underneath sea level. Then they would create a tunnel the ship would go through to enter the floodgate.

Enai and Daku were on the deck when the tunnel was closed behind them, and so was hatman – Daku smiled a little everytime he thought about that nickname. Simple, but catchy. Should be a super hero instead of a bad guy.

He looked at Enai and saw her preparing the surprise attack. She bended some water into her hands and pretended she was playing with it, rotating it into a donut and forming a water glove around her hand. Daku grabbed his katana and pretended he was looking at his reflection, until the water started rising.

In the blink of an eye, Enai cast her water towards hatman's legs and Daku's katana was only inches away from his throat. Things looked good until hatman looked up at them, jumped to evade the water and put his dagger against Daku's katana. Sparks were flying from the weapons and Daku could look straight into his eyes, and noticed they were extraordinarily bloodshot.

As he was distracted by his stare the man pushed through with his kunai, which would have cut Daku severely if Enai hadn't frozen him into a large block of ice, leaving only his head out.

"Who.. Who are you?" Daku asked.

"I'm no-one. My work is done." the man hissed. A crew member came running towards the scene.

"Oh dear, that's one of the outcasts." He said, while pointing at a frostbite burn in hatman's neck.

"Outcasts?" Enai asked.

"Yes, outcasts. About 15 years ago, there was a group of corrupt waterbender soldiers led by a certain guy named Moko bribed to aid in the rebellion against Fire Lord Zuko. Good thing they got figured out in time, cause they proved themselves to be world's finest assassins. They were marked and banished from the Water Tribes, but I guess they are too dangerous to be left out here."

Meanwhile a small raft with a few guards stopped next to them, lifting the assassin over to the raft.

"We'll send out notice to Arnook. Avatar and Daku, please be careful out there. These guys are dangerous."

"We can handle them." Enai was standing next to Daku, and he saw the same determination in her eyes as he saw earlier, but now she was smiling. In just one day's time, she's grown up from a lazy teenager to a responsible woman.

"Nice waterbending back there."

"Couldn't have done it if I hadn't practised on you before."

Still focused on hatman, nobody noticed a messenger hawk with a small piece of parchment attached to its paw in the distance.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3: Reflections

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**Avatar: The Spirit Wars (Aang's Legacy)**

* * *

**Previously:** Still focused on hatman, nobody noticed a messenger hawk with a small piece of parchment attached to its paw in the distance.

**Notes:** I'm not really sure about this chapter. There's not a lot of action happening, and basically it will be the start of character and story development. Thanks avatarfreak35 for you review, really appreciate it. I'm having a hard time trying to make up good stories and plot, and finding the time to write as I still have to go to school a lot. So updates may take a week or 2-3. Please people, keep reviewing, I want to know your thoughts and opinions!

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1 or 2.

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**Chapter 3: Reflections**

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_Where am I?_ Was the first thing Enai thought when she found herself floating through a golden sky, with small clouds surrounding her.

"So you are the new avatar?" The voice was childish, sounding like it came from a 13 year old. She turned around to see a bald boy standing on a cloud, dressed in what she had learned was traditional airbender clothing and covered in blue arrow tattoos.

"Wait, you must be avatar Aang!" She stated. The boy perfectly fitted the description she always heard about the avatar who ended the war 16 years ago.

"Why yes I am ma'am." He said with his trademark grin on his face.

"In case you're wondering, you're asleep right now, but your mind is in the spirit world. You should get used to this, cause this will happen several more times. But I need to talk to you about a few things." Like he read her mind, he answered her question. Read her mind, or just noticed the puzzled look on her face.

"Well uhm.. What's up, avatar Aang?"

"Just call me Aang, I'm no different than you are. Except I'm.. well.. you know. Dead." Aang rode his little cloud next to hers.

"Right."

"Anyway, first off, these people you see around us are all the avatars preceding you." As Enai looked around she noticed there were people on the clouds, thousands of avatars surrounding her.

"You are the next avatar, so you'll have to keep peace on earth. There's a dangerous group after you, and their plans will have consequences for the fate of the world." Aang noticed Enai was a little shocked. He realized what he just said and scratched the back of his head embarrassed, like Enai did too occasionally.

"Ehehe, but don't worry about that yet, you got to concentrate on mastering all of the elements and finding your teachers.. And true friends." Enai saw his facial expression got a little down, and she figured he probably missed the people he used to hang out with.

"You know, you remind me a lot about the girl I had a crush on. You have the same look in your eyes, and she was a waterbender too you know.."

"And who might that be?" Enai asked curiously, slightly teasing Aang in an attempt to lighten him up a little.

"Katara, the person who could have kept me going all by herself, and has kept me going. I need you to tell her something for me."

"Katara? The famous waterbending master Katara? Erm, what should I tell her?" Aang's smile returned faintly.

"You'll know when you meet her."

* * *

Daku woke up and sat upright in his bed, only to crash his head into the wooden storage compartment above. He bounced back onto his bed, touching his head in search of a bump. _Who builds a storage compartment that low anyway? _He thought to himself.

After relaxing his head a bit to get rid of his fresh headache, he looked at Enai's bed, and noticed she wasn't there. He sat upright again and almost crashed his head for the second time. No sign of Enai, until he looked down. There she was, lying spread-out over the cabin floor, drooling a little. _Hmm, and she looked so mature and responsible yesterday._

After thinking of what she might be dreaming of for a few minutes, he decided to wake her up. After all, it would probably be a good thing that the avatar is able to wake up when necessary.

"Enai? Eeeeenai? ENAI!"

"Woah!" Enai jumped up into fighting stance to see Daku all dressed up sitting on his bed with a big satisfied grin.

"Impressive, barely awake but ready to fight already. Keep that up." Although Enai didn't really like the way Daku woke her up (which he could easily tell by looking at her why-did-you-have-to-do-that face), there was a good point in this so-called training.

"I'm off to the deck, you should get dressed and we can have some breakfast together."

* * *

A few minutes later the duo was on the deck, enjoying some moon peaches in the warm morning sun. After chatting for a while about everyday stuff Enai remembered the dream she had.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

"Can you tell me all you know about avatar Aang?"

"Uuhm, okay, let's see. More than 100 years ago the Fire Nation started a war to rule the world. Not long after that they killed all the air nomads, in hope of killing the next avatar, because he would be dangerous to the Fire Nation. Legend says Aang ran away from home shortly before the Fire Nation arrived, and was frozen for 100 years. He was found by Sokka and Katara of the Southern Water Tribe."

"Wait, general Sokka and master Katara?"

"Yes, _the_ Sokka and Katara. Anyway, the three of them headed north towards the Northern Water Tribe to find a waterbending master. Then the Fire Nation showed up and laid siege upon our tribe, forcing my sister to become the moon eventually." 

_Oh yeah, that story._ If Enai hadn't heard that story earlier, she'd have no clue what he was talking about, which she thought would be pretty logical.

"Later on, they met a blind earthbender named Toph, found out about a solar eclipse, saved Ba Sing Se one time, then everybody thought Aang died by the hands of Zuko, but he returned. The solar eclipse invasion failed, but Aang managed to stop Firelord Ozai when Sozin's comet arrived again, with the help of his friends and current Firelord Zuko, who joined them later on. The poor kid didn't survive the fight though, and he was only 12! Well, technically he was 112, but still." 

_Being 12 with the weight of the world on his shoulders. I can't believe what he must have been through. _Daku caught Enai daydreaming.

"Why the sudden interest?"

"Oh, uuhm, well, last night I dreamt that Aang was talking to me, and I was in the spirit world. That was, until you woke me up so gently." Daku looked a little embarrassed, which made her laugh a little.

"I'll tell the rest later on."

"Fair enough." He said while taking off his vest, noting it was considerably warmer than in the Northern Water Tribe.

After discussing whether seal jerky was more tasty than possum chicken and enjoying the warm sun rays in the cool breeze, Enai saw the Earth Kingdom continent in the distance.

"Daku?"

"What's up?"

"Do you see those mountains and the river in between over there?"

"I see, what about it?" Before he could finish her sentence, Enai stood up and jumped overboard. Daku ran over to the railing and looked down to see Enai standing on little lumps of ice underneath her feet, which they dubbed 'ice skates' when they invented them.

"Race you there?" And not a second later he floated next to her.

"Where's the competition?" He said with a smile.

* * *

The fire kingdom capital was situated in a large crater on the top of a volcano. Inside the natural barrier lay one of the most beautiful and large cities the earth has known, with the Fire Lord's palace rising high above the rest of the city, as if that place were reaching for the sun.

Except for the occasional criminal, the city was at peace, and has always been since Fire Lord Zuko had been crowned one of the youngest Fire Lords known. Earlier younger Fire Lords were the son of a Lord who died when the kid was only 15, and a greedy little kid who demanded his weakhearted father to pass on the crown to him at the mere age of 13. Of course, the citizens weren't glad to hear that and revolted, resulting in the father being recrowned and the son being disciplined by the Avatar at that time. Legend says he never wanted to leave his new tutor afterwards.

The Ruby Dragon teahouse could easily be spotted from the crater's ridge. Located just outside the outer ring walls of the palace, the large building was horseshoe-shaped, with small ponds in front of the entrance and two dragons facing outward over the building's front. Thousands of people would come here every day to have Iroh's legendary tea blends. T

he dragon of the west himself was looking out over the guests contently, until a young adult man came up to him.

"Iroh."

"Hozu! Good to see you again, brother."

"Good to see you too. I bring word from the Order, the monks from the Northern Water Tribe have sent us a letter that a young girl named Enai is heading for the Jasmine Dragon in Ba Sing Se, she is expected to arrive the day after tomorrow."

"Excellent. Tell them to send her to Katara in the Southern Water Tribe. A waterbender can't master waterbending without a waterbending master to help waterbenders master waterbending, you know!" Hozu's face turned a little sour.

"So I've been told. I'll send a messenger hawk right away."

"You do that, I'll continue to keep my teamaker's reputation up! He said with a big grin. Hozu was amazed by Iroh's ability to maintain his cheerful mood when the world could be in danger.

_Enjoying life comes with age_, he thought, and walked out of the teahouse. Little did he know about the Iroh's newfound worries keeping him up at night.

* * *

"Argh, I got to get used to this heat." Daku said, while rolling over for about the fifth time in a minute.

After they had finished their race towards the river mouth (which Enai had won by freezing the water below Daku just before he reached the finish, much to his annoyance), they enjoyed the hot summer sun on a small beach near the river mouth. The ferry would sail up this river, so they would just hop on when the boat was passing near the beach.

While Daku was twisting and turning to make a comfortable spot to lie on in the hot sand, she allowed her mind to drift off again.

"It's bothering you, isn't it?" Daku asked when he saw Enai staring at the waves.

"Yeah. Well, no. Uuuhm, kinda, I guess. It's just that, Aang was only 13 when he faced the Fire Lord, and he was responsible for the fate of the world. He must have had a really hard time, and I can't help but think it isn't going to be easy for me either. I'm afraid that I'm not strong enough to be the Avatar." Daku couldn't argue with the thought that they were going to have a rough time.

"Enai, don't say that. Of all people I know in the Northern Water Tribe, I think you're one of the most suited persons for the job. You care a lot about other people, and you are one of the best waterbenders I know, and you're only 16! Plus, if you're the Avatar that means you'll be able to enter the Avatar state, and as far as I have heard, you can kick some serious butt with that." Enai started to lighten up a little.

Daku bended some water towards him and formed an icy mirror.

"Look at yourself. Is that the face of a weak, powerless girl or a strong waterbender with lots of potential?"

Enai looked at herself in the temporary mirror and remembered she won pretty much every fight she had with people of her age, and even several fights with adult waterbenders.

"And Enai, wherever you have to go, I'll go with you. I won't leave you alone whatsoever."

"Thanks Daku, that means a lot to me." She hugged him.

"No problem, but don't get used to this kind of conversation, I'm not really the mushy type of guy."

They enjoyed the moment for a few more seconds until it was rudely interrupted by a clamshellcrab joyously grabbing hold to one of Daku's toes with its pincers.

"Oh come on earth, leave me alone would ya?" Not much later, the sun started to set and the duo re-entered the ferry that was passing by.

* * *

In a small Earth Nation village Moko was enjoying his fine ginseng tea in the late afternoon. As he was observing the population living their lives in peace he couldn't help but notice their unawareness of what might happen in the near future. Sure, they didn't know anything about Azula's masterplan, but the idea of all these lives changing so abruptly intrigued him.

While sipping the last bits of tea out of the porcelain cup, a hawk with a message attached to its paw landed on his shoulder. Moko took off the note and started reading.

_The avatar is a girl from the Northern Water Tribe. She is travelling with the prince, Arnook's son. They're headed for Ba Sing Se and are supposed to arrive there in 3 days from now. I'm following them, maintaining a low profile shouldn't be a problem when were out of the city._

_12._

"The idiot." Moko softly said to himself.

He turned the note around and wrote a few things on the backside, before attaching it to the bird's paw again.

"Sorry to make you fly so far again. You'll probably get some rest soon." He said to the bird, while it was softly biting on his ear. 

_Don't screw up this time_, he thought to himself when the bird flew away.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4: She's The Avatar

* * *

**Avatar: The Spirit Wars (Aang's Legacy)**

* * *

**Notes: **I should be studying right now, but I just had to finish this chapter. And I did! Yay for me :-). My loyal readers of this fic will see (or have already seen) where this is heading for now. This chapter is another (important) scene on their way. By the way, I don't know if anyone noticed this, but I usually write from a tv-series point of view. That is, I partially see this as a script for a follow-up series, and one chapter is roughly one episode. If I could draw well enough to make a storyboard, I would :-P. Anyway, read and enjoy, and please leave a review, I'd love to hear my reader's opinions! :-D

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 1, 2 or 3.

* * *

**Chapter 4: She's The Avatar**

* * *

The following morning the ferry docked in an Earth Kingdom town called Hosh, about halfway up the river connecting the Great Lake to the sea. After letting people go on and off the boat, and load some cargo on and off the ship, it would continue its journey towards Ba Sing Se by the end of the day.

While taking a stroll Enai and Daku were viewing the town and finding the differences between Earth Kingdom people and theirs. After a while they noticed a number of houses was burned down, some of which were already being rebuilt by the villagers.

While they were standing and watching one of the burnt down houses, a villager noticed they were not from the Earth Kingdom.

"In case you were wondering, these houses were burnt down by fire nation rebels."

"Fire Nation rebels? But the war ended like 16 years ago! Why haven't they been rid of yet?" Enai asked.

"The rebels friom the rebel stronghold at The Rift near Ba Sing Se have held out for years. But under the pressure of the Earth Kingdom army, a small part of the rebels had deserted and went for a safer place. We only have a few qualified soldiers and benders here, so this is a safe place for them. Plus they can live by stealing our supplies. We think they have their hideout down at the mountains south from here."

"But why doesn't the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom send any reinforcements?"

"Because most of the soldiers are busy with either attacking The Rift, maintaining order or searching out other rebel scum. There aren't a lot of attackers here, maybe a few dozen, so they don't think it's that much of a problem."

"But that's terrible.."

"Oh no, except for the occasional burnt down house or supply caravan stolen, they are pretty calm. But still, they're very annoying."

And after saying that, he walked along to wherever he was going.

"Daku, if no-one else is doing something about this, we should."

"What? You're kidding me. We can't take on a few dozen firebenders!?"

"You're right, we can't on our own. But I got a plan."

"Oh well, if you're really really sure.."

* * *

Kozan was sick and tired of being a rebel. For years and years he had fought off Earth Kingdom attacks, and taken part in numerous attacks against them. After all this time, he found it hard to remember why exactly he didn't just return to the Fire Nation and live a peaceful life. Was it the money? No, ever since the war 'ended' they stopped getting paychecks. Not that they would need money in their safe fortress.

Kozan arrived just before the war ended, when the so-called Rift was nearing its completion. A magnificent piece of engineering, this gigantic fortress was situated at the foot of a volcano, within a few days travel north of Ba Sing Se. This strategic yet risky location was the reason they could fend off the earthbenders for so long. With the river in the west, the volcano in the north and the real rift, a volcanic canyon hundreds of feet deep which would fill up with lava from time to time in the west, the only way to attack the fortress directly was from the south.

Even though Kozan had to admit the army from Ba Sing Se was powerful, attacking firebenders in a fortress surrounded by steel walls situated on highly volcanic ground was hopeless. The Earth Kingdom's best chances lay at mother nature growing sick of the Fire Nation and smoking them out.

But it wasn't the feeling of safety that kept the rebels going. No, it was the former princess Azula. Kozan had seen her a few times, and that woman breathed authority. If it were the fire in her golden eyes, or the way she commanded her subordinates with her chilling voice, he didn't know. But the ability to keep thousands of loyal soldiers in the only warzone in this peaceful world had to account for something, he figured.

The only thing he knew for sure was that he couldn't hold out much longer, and he would leave this place, accompanied by other people or by himself.

* * *

"Hey. Pssh. Come on Hoi, wake up." A slightly plump man said to a skinnier man.

By giving him a little nudge, he almost made him fall of the tree they were hiding in.

"Urgh.. What's wrong Kou?"

"Look, you see those persons walking over here?" Hoi said, pointing at two people in blue clothing, heads down.

"Yeah, so?"

The big man nodded towards them. Hoi noticed the big bag he was referring to.

"Money." He said with a confident nod.

The pedestrians were slowly walking by when Hoi and Kou let themselves fall from the trees onto the innocent bypassers. With a few swift moves, they managed to pin them down and tie them up. Both faces showing a confident smile, they grabbed the bag and walked their prisoners towards their camp.

_Step 1 completed_, Enai thought.

* * *

"Is the plan still in effect?"

"Yeah, we're leaving at midnight." Kozan said.

He had a plan to leave with two other soldiers. At midnight, they were supposed to leave using an upside-down sail-less sloop, and swimming down the river, using the sloop as cover and as a source for air. Getting out of the Rift was almost as hard as getting in.

Azula had introduced very strict rules to execute deserters, so simply walking out of the stronghold was not an option. Normally the guards would keep their eye on the river too, but Kozan asked a few friends who were supposed to be on shift to let them slip through. Now he could only hope that they kept their word.

* * *

"Look what we got!" Hoi yelled when they arrived at the rebel camp.

It was situated in an open place in the forest by the foot of a mountain. A few large tents were set up, there was an extinguished bonfire in the middle. Some ostrich horses were tied to trees around the camp. Some men in old weary Fire Nation armor were scattered around the place, some taking a nap, others talking or playing a game, one rebel munching on a possum chicken leg.

A fairly tall bald man with a moustache and pointy beard came walking out of the central tent. Judging by the scar on his right cheek and his fierce look, he was a soldier who had lots of war experience. Both Enai and Daku figured he was the leader of the camp.

He started talking.

"Who have you brought here?"

"These are two very rich water tribe people. Look at this huge bag of money!"

Hoi threw the bag towards the leader, only to show a lot of stone coin imitations when it fell on the floor and opened. He shook his head.

"Someone please tell me why I let you guys come along."

"Actually you-"

"Rhetorical, Hoi!" He said before walking over to Enai and Daku, who were still looking at the ground in front of their feet.

When he stood in front of them, he grabbed Daku's vest and fiercely pulled him closer, forcing Daku to look him in the face. What he got in return was a filthy look from a 15 year old.

"Hmm, your skin colour, blue eyes, blue clothes. You are a water tribe boy, aren't you?"

Daku didn't answer.

The general looked back at him angrily and pushed him back, causing him to fall on the ground.

"Rebels of the Fire Nation!" He shouted.

The people stopped with whatever they were doing, stood up and turned towards their leader. Some came out of their tents.

"Today is the day we can prove ourselves worthy to be true Fire Nation soldiers once again! Today we will serve Azula as she ordered us. Today, we will find the avatar and bring him to Azula! Mount your ostrich horses, because we're riding to Hosh!"

The soldiers cheered a bit before gathering their armour and weapons and mounting their ostrich horses. Enai had to control a lot of emotions. Shock, because she didn't count on the soldiers heading to search for _her_ in Hosh. Fear, because this would be leading to a change of plan, which may not turn out very well. Anger, because the general thought the Avatar was going to be a boy.

_Old-fashioned sexist_.

* * *

"Go go go!" Kozan whispered to his fellow deserters.

They grabbed the sloop and quickly ran into the cold black water and put the sloop over their heads. They paddled and paddled some more, fiercely hoping they would make it out alive. After about ten minutes of swimming what seemed like an eternity, their hopes of escaping got better, until they bumped into something hard and metal-ish with their cover.

Kozan, who was in front, lifted the front of the sloop. He saw something hard and huge. Slowly he turned his gaze upwards, and as the moonlight reflected in the object, his stomach twisted.

"Guys, there's a battleship in our way."

"A battleship? Let's go around it then!"

"It's.. It's sideways. They knew we were coming, and they're blocking our way."

Kozan looked to the right, and saw a small boat with rebel soldiers heading towards them. Realizing he couldn't evade them by swimming to the side, he knew his only option was to dive under the battleship. Hoping the spirits would support him, he took a deep breath and went underwater. While swimming for his life, he knew the others were being captured, and they were ratted out by his so-called friends.

He couldn't see a thing underwater, and by the time he felt he was at the keel, he was nearly out of oxygen. He went up as quickly as he could, but just before he reached the surface, he blacked out. The last thing he faintly saw through the water was the moon, shining just over the edge of the battleship.

* * *

After a while the duo finally got to Hosh with the Fire Nation rebels. As they looked out over the town, they noticed a few of them went ahead on their ostrich horses to rally the citizens onto the town square. Now Enai and Daku saw that the earth- and waterbenders together were still outnumbered two to one, apparently there were more rebels than they had thought.

"What is it you want now, Jeron?" The town head said, apparently speaking to the general.

"There are waterbenders among you now, and we know the avatar is here too."

He nudged towards a couple of soldiers, who fired fireballs to the ferry to set it on fire, much to the citizen's and guest's shock.

"We don't know, please don't do this." The town head said, and looked towards the Water Tribe guests, who spastically shook their heads.

Enai felt terrible because she was the reason for all this, but she couldn't let them know she was the avatar. Jeron overlooked the crowd and picked out another adolescent Water Tribe boy, grabbed him, and put his palm to the side of his head.

"Now, I'm giving you three seconds to tell me who's the avatar, or this boy gets it."

Enai really didn't know what to do now. This plan went terribly wrong, and she was afraid she couldn't do anything to stop it.

"One."

"I told you, we don't know! Don't hurt that innoce-"

"Two."

"Don't do this!" The elder shouted.

"Thr.."

Jeron was cut off by a heavy wave of air which blew him a few feet away, just like everyone else. When Daku looked up from the ground, he saw Enai was the source of the blast. She didn't look normal, her eyes and mouth were glowing, and she didn't say a thing.

For a short moment, Jeron was shocked, but that was quickly replaced with anger.

"She's the avatar! Get her!"

The Fire Nation rebels turned towards her, surrounded her and started attacking her, most by firebending. Enai drew a huge amount of water from the river and deflected every fireball headed towards her with great ease and fluent movement, even though they were fired too fast for Daku to tell how many there actually were.

After the first strikes, Enai started counterattacking. After she deflected a fireball, she struck down the caster with a water whip or water blast, steadily knocking down or blowing away each opponent. When all ordinary rebels were finally struck down, Jeron went to fight her too.

He lasted a lot longer than the other rebels, and Daku saw he was a much more experienced fighter, but after a few minutes of fire/water-dueling he was defeated too.

Jeron was lying on the ground, and Enai slowly approached him.

"Untie my friend and leave this place, or I will strike you down again."

Knowing he and his rebels couldn't take her on, he mounted his ostrich horse and left, as for his bruised rebels. When they were all gone, Enai got out of the avatar state and collapsed. Daku quickly ran towards her and supported her. She looked towards the town head.

"I'm sorry." She softly said before she passed out.

* * *

Kozan slowly woke up. He could barely breathe, and when he looked around, he saw he was in the detention center of the Rift. The room he was in was dark, with only a candle in front of him to illuminate the place. The place smelled like putrid flesh, probably from previous visitors, who had stayed there for too long.

After he was done observing his whereabouts, the metal door opened, and he saw the silhouette of a person coming in.

"So you tried to escape our stronghold?"

Kozan didn't say anything. He looked up to the person, who turned out to be a woman according to her voice, but couldn't see anything but her silhouette in the faint lighting.

"We don't leave this place. If you're here, you'll live here, you'll die here, you understand?"

Kozan knew he was going to be punished severely. He had failed, and he was going to die there.

"I'll personally teach you a lesson, you should feel honoured to be tortured by me."

As the woman walked closer, Kozan could finally see who was about to punish him. Azula. Those golden eyes pierced his soul, and he was horrified.

"I think I know where to start. I'll start with.."

Kozan braced himself for a searing pain. He never was this afraid before.

"Your toes!" She shouted.

He had no clue, his toes?!

He looked up to Azula, and saw her laughing maniacally. Suddenly he felt pain in his toes, and the room blurred out to a clear blue morning sky.

After coughing up some water, he found himself lying on a small beach on the other side of the river. When he looked down to his feet, he saw a clamshellcrab trying to win a one-sided fight with his toes. He picked it up and threw it back in the river. He slowly sat up and looked around.

In the distance, he saw the Rift, with countless dents and cavities in the wall, inflicted by earthbenders through the years. And finally he realized, he was going home. Kozan, the first deserter in sixteen years to leave the Rift alive.

* * *

Just out of sight for the citizens of Hosh, the rebels were heading northwest. A soldier went up to Jeron.

"Sir, may I ask where we're going?"

"We're going to the Rift. Azula must know."

* * *


	5. Chapter 5: Ba Sing Se: The Beginning

* * *

**Avatar: The Spirit Wars (Aang's Legacy)**

* * *

**Notes: **FINALLY! This was a very hard chapter for me to write, but it turned out okay I hope. Sorry people for leaving you without new chapters for so long! I'm afraid you've forgotten what's happened before in this story.. :-P. Anyway, I had a lot of trouble with school and exams and stuff, so I didn't have a lot of time until recently. And when I did have the time, I missed the inspiration. Damn you school for taking up so much of my time! Anyway, some more development of the story in this chapter, you'll figure it out I guess. By the way, continuity is a btch. It gets better towards the end ;-). RATE AND REVIEW PEOPLE, I want to know who I'm writing for and I hope to write a new chapter before I'm going on holiday to France for 3 weeks :-). Once again, RATE AND REVIEW!

**Disclaimer: **Aw come on, I disclaimed this story like 4 times, I think that's enough.

* * *

**Book 1****, Chapter 5: Ba Sing Se - The Beginning**

* * *

The journey to Ba Sing Se took a little longer than planned. After leaving the avatar state, Enai hadn't woken up until the following morning. The ferry which was supposed to take them to Ba Sing Se was damaged too much to continue its trip, so Enai and Daku had to walk along the southern coast of the river and the lake.

Luckily for them, their belongings that were in the ship at the time of the raid were still intact. They bought themselves a pair of ostrich horses with some of the money that chief Arnook had given them and managed to make it to the ferry to finally cross the Great Lake with a small delay of a few days. That is after they got acquainted with their new pets, which was hard, especially for Daku who apparently picked an ostrich horse with a bad temper. But around lunch time they found their common interest: food.

The sun was setting when the duo finally stood in front of the great walls of Ba Sing Se, colouring the giant structure with orange and red hues. After the gate watchers noticed the new arrivals group, they earthbended two parts of the wall away from each other, leaving open a slit large enough to let a big crowd pass through.

Inside of the gate was a beautiful landscape with a large stone rail running through it, disappearing into and reappearing from a building right in front of them. After bidding farewell to and setting their ostrich horses free on the plains of Ba Sing Se, they entered the building. Once inside the group of visitors, tourists and inhabitants were guided into a large stone train, as the local people called it. Next thing they knew the train was being propelled by earthbenders, revealing a view over the stretched hills of Ba Sing Se.

After a while they passed through yet another wall, and they finally got to see the giant city of Ba Sing Se. Daku had been here once before when he was merely a little toddler that was dragged along with his parents, not able to comprehend a city of this size. On the other hand, he was amazed by the city yet again. But Enai was even worse. She had left the Northern Water Tribe only a few times to visit the Southern Water Tribe during the Water Tribe festivals which were held in another tribe each year. And even then did they only visit the mainland of the Earth Kingdom for short resupplying breaks. Upon the view of Ba Sing Se, her jaw pretty much fell all the way to the floor, and it stayed there for a few minutes.

* * *

Once the train came to an end in what appeared to be one of the outer rings of the city, they left the train and entered a hall similar to the hall they started their little trip in. They didn't really know where to go so they just headed out through the main exit, until a guard in a green soldier's outfit told them to stop.

"Excuse me miss, Are you the avatar?"

Enai still wasn't completely used to the title, although she didn't hesitate when people called her that way anymore.

"Why yes I am. Do you by any chance have a clue where the Jasmine Dragon tea shop might be?"

"My orders were to take you to the shop ASAP, so we better get going. Is that boy a friend of yours?"

"This is my best friend and humble servant Daku, from the Northern Water Tribe."

"Erm, prince of the Northern Water Tribe, if I may." He said with a slight cough, and showed the guard the royal seal of the Water Tribes.

"I guess that will do. Avatar, prince Daku, if you would come along with me? He said after slightly bowing to the both of them. After that, the pair followed him outside.

"Do they always treat you like this? It's awesome!" Enai asked to her close friend.

"Yeah pretty much. It gets boring very quickly though." He said with a shrug.

After a short walk they got to a carriage, which brought them further towards the centre of the city.

During the carriage tour through the city the duo got to know the tour guide who was named Jee Doo, a young woman with a huge smile which they found a bit scary. She was instructed to quickly guide the teenagers through the city and answer their questions, and so she did.

"Avatar, prince Daku, have you ever been here before?" She asked.

"I haven't, and Daku hasn't been here recently, either."

"Excellent! We'll start at the beginning. Just now, we left the lower ring, where the 'workers' live."

"Hmpf, poor people you mean." Enai said, noticing the grim look on the people's faces and the poor housing circumstances.

"If you want to call them that way, yes, avatar."

"And stop calling me avatar please."

"If you say so, av.." Enai looked at her threateningly. She got the message, but still retained her everlasting and horrifying big smile.

"My apologies. We just entered the middle ring, home to the financial district, shops and restaurants, and the university. The Jasmine Dragon tea shop is just a few minutes away from here. Located in the centre of Ba Sing Se is the upper ring, where our most important people live. I'm sure you'll see the upper ring soon. Are there any questions?"

"Actually yes, where are we sleeping tonight? I mean, the sun has set just now, and it's a little late to search for an inn of some sorts."

"I have not been informed about your housing. You will probably receive housing from Akote, the current headman at the Jasmine Dragon. Speaking of which, we just arrived. Enjoy your stay at Ba Sing Se."

* * *

When they stepped out they saw a fairly large green building on a heightened square with a fountain in front of it. There were people walking towards the Jasmine Dragon, probably to have some tea and relax while the evening still lasts.

After the carriage left, the teenagers walked up the stairs to the square and into the tea shop. After they were greeted by two ladies in the opening, they got a good look at the interior. Stretching from the entrance to the back of the shop was a large green rug with yellow dragons on it. To the sides were a lot of tables and chairs, where people were sitting, drinking tea and laughing about stories told by their companions.

They just stepped inside when a very lively young girl suddenly popped up out of nowhere right in front of them, bringing with her a soft breeze of fresh air.

"Hello and welcome to the Jasmine Dragon! A table for two?"

"I.. Uh.. Well.. Uh.. Actually we were.. Uhm.. Looking for.. Eeeh.. This guy named.. Eerm.. _What was his name again_?" He whispered to Enai while shielding his mouth with his hand.

"Akote." She replied in the same way.

"Akote!" He practically yelled, making a few people frown at him.

"So you are our special guests! I thought so."

"And why is that?" Enai asked.

The girl grinned a little.

"Just look around you."

Then the teenagers noticed why the guard picked them out so easily earlier on. Pretty much everyone was dressed in somewhat fashionable brown or Earth Kingdom traditional green clothing, whereas they were still in their blue Water Tribe outfits which were still dusty and slightly charred in some places from the fight a few days ago. Adding to that, they were far more tanned than the majority of people in the place.

"So I see."

"You may go through the door at the back of the room, with the pai sho table next to it. He's probably in his room at the end of the hallway."

When they were past the back door, Enai swung an arm around her friends neck and started talking to him in a flirty way.

"Soooo, what was that all about?"

"What was what all about?" He said with a sour look on his face.

"The way you were talking to that girl back there, you couldn't even complete one simple sentence!"

"Well yeah, I wasn't paying attention and suddenly she was right in front of me!"

"Like that makes you stutter.."

"Apparently it did."

"Admit it, you thought she was pretty at the very least."

"Never mind it, Enai, we gotta go see that Akote guy." He said. Enai could hear by the way he was talking that he felt annoyed.

When they reached the room at the end of the hall, they saw an old, bald man sitting behind a desk, writing a letter or filling in some form of sorts. The room was small and a large bookcase with some exotic souvenirs on top was dimly lit by a few candles. Upon noticing the foreign visitors, a smile appeared onto the old man's face.

"Ah finally, the avatar and the prince! I see you've encountered some.. complications? We were expecting you a few days ago." He said while noticing the slightly burned clothes.

"Complications, sorta." Enai said.

"Fair enough. Avatars have the tendency to encounter difficult situations all the time, but we'll discuss that when we must. For now, let me guide you to your residence, I presume you would like to rest from your journey?"

"Booya! I could use a bed right now." Daku almost shouted, to Enai's annoyance.

After a short walk through the inner city of Ba Sing Se, the group reached their destination: A beautiful stone house with a porch and an orange colored, traditional roof, situated in the upper ring.

"This will be your residence for the time being. The previous avatar had lived here for about a month, too. I'm sure you'll be able to find everything you need in here. Questions and further business will be discussed tomorrow, as it is getting late right now and you should be well rested."

Upon that, he left the teenagers at their temporary house and went back to his office. Enai and Daku took a quick look at the many features of the house before taking a quick bath and going to sleep.

* * *

The following morning Daku was awoken by the cries of beasts they had never encountered before. After he had a short laugh because Enai was still drooling on her pillow in her sleep, he decided to wake her up and get ready for another day. After having breakfast and putting on the green and yellow clothes that were hanging in the closets of their bedrooms, they went to go see Akote at the tea shop again, to ask some questions and find out why they had to come here.

"Good morning avatar, prince Daku."

"Please, just call us Enai and Daku."

"Very well. First off, you're probably wondering why you're here?"

The question was answered with heavy nods from both adolescents.

"As you know, the Great War ended sixteen years ago when avatar Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai, the father of currently reigning Fire Lord Zuko. That's around the time when you were born, Enai. Something less known is that there are a few criminal groups scattered throughout the world who are planning to start yet another war, for reasons unknown to us. In fact, we don't even know what they're planning to do, but we are suspecting something terrible.

There's a legend about four stones, about the size of a fist, that are hidden in places throughout the whole world, now buried deep under the ground. These stones represent the four elements, and were created by the spirits at the dawn of time to create a barrier between the spirit world and the normal world we live in. Thousands of years ago, a king of the Earth Kingdom wanted to conquer the world by breaking the barrier.

He ordered his commanders to remove the stones from their pedestals and bring them to him, wanting to create a spirit army to start conquering the other nations. He brought them together and when the stones were in contact with each other, they merged into each other and the barrier between the spirit world and the real world broke. After that, the earth and the air rippled and finally tore apart in places all over the world, and spirit creatures came crawling through those gateways. The Earth King didn't know how to control them, and very soon the world was overrun with spirit creatures, resulting in total chaos.

He called the avatar at that time to him, a man who was peacefully residing in a quiet village near Ba Sing Se after having mastered the four elements. The Earth King ordered the full-fledged avatar to ask the spirits for an answer, and so he did. He went through one of many portals to find a spirit named Koh. He returned to the normal world in the avatar state and went straight to the Barrier Stone.

"Wait, is the avatar state when the avatar gets all glowy and has amazing bending powers?" Daku asked.

"Roughly, yes. But that's just one aspect of the avatar state. Has Enai been in the avatar state already then?" Akote asked, with a hint of fear in his voice.

"No, but I've heard some stories here and there.." Daku lied.

"Good. Anyway, nobody knew what happened next, but all abnormal objects and creatures were gone, and so were the portals. This avatar took the stones back to their respective places and buried them in places where they wouldn't be found by anyone but him. He wrote down the locations of these stones, but rumour says this information was stored in the Library , which seems to have vanished into thin air.

A few weeks ago though, a professor from Ba Sing Se University who was missing was found in the desert. He carried a scroll, the scroll containing the locations of the stone. It's currently located in the treasury of the palace here in Ba Sing Se, heavily guarded."

"But how did the professor get that scroll?" Enai asked.

"The only thing he told us was that a spirit released him because there was a copy which would get in the wrong hands, and the world would need this. We suspect this spirit wanted to warn us for the people who will try to use the spirits as an army again. If this happens, we need you to restore balance to the world, Enai. But, that's a matter only if that happens. I've got business to attend to now, and there's a person who would like to see you. Ah, I see she's here already!"

"Another Twinkletoes huh."

As the teenagers turned around to look who was in the opening, they saw a slender young woman in her late twenties, wearing a green robe with yellow lining, with a brown belt around her waist. Her black hair was hanging to the right and over her left eye at the front, reaching to her chest, and put up at the back. A green and yellow hairband kept it all in place. She had light blue eyes which seemed to stare into a distance, which explained why she wasn't bothered with her hair hanging over her left eye.

"Toph Bei Fong, secretary to the Earth King and grand master of the Order of the White Lotus. Pleased to meet you, avatar Enai and prince Daku."

* * *

Deep down in the catacombs under the Fire Nation palace, a man was slowly walking towards his destination. His head was down, his face covered by a hat of some sorts. Upon reaching yet another fork in the road, he recounted his previous decisions and remembered he had to go right this time. At least, according to the directions given to him by a very reliable source.

After minutes of walking around the underground maze he finally got to the specific hallway he had to be in. To the left of the corridor was a solid steel door, with a bulky guard sitting next to it, reading a paper. The guard greeted the man who replied with a slight nod, after which he returned to the daily news.

When the man was just a few metres past the guard, he pulled a cork from a flask he had hanging from his belt. A small string of a slightly purple-ish liquid came flowing out and levitated towards the unsuspecting guard. Before he knew what was going on, the liquid was forced into his mouth, and further down into his stomach. It didn't take long for the potion to take effect, and he was sound asleep within a few minutes.

The man approached the sleeping guard and took his keyring. After a few tries, he got the right key for the steel door, which opened with a slight creak. Behind the door was a large room with bookcases in the middle and against the wall. Remembering what his assignment was, he searched for the shelf belonging to a certain date sixteen years ago. There lay his objective, a thick file with commander Zhao's name written on it.

He didn't have a lot of time to search the room for more interesting files, because he softly heard the footsteps of a person coming towards him. He quickly put the file under his robe and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him and returning the keyring to its rightful owner. He slowly walked back to where he came from, greeting the person he heard coming towards him earlier with another nod.

Mission accomplished, he thought to himself.

* * *


End file.
